


Just For You

by TheSandglass



Category: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Childhood Friends, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Implied Childhood Romance, Mentions of phrases like 'I'm going to die'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:20:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24237190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSandglass/pseuds/TheSandglass
Summary: Silas and Corrin are best friends, maybe more if time gives them such a chance. Even during their darkest days, they'll always have each other. Right? It's clear Corrin wants one thing - to see the outside world, just once. Seeing her hope so much makes him want to grant her wish, damn the consequences…
Relationships: My Unit | Kamui | Corrin/Silas
Kudos: 9





	Just For You

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again, my little dokis! I'm back again with some more Fire Emblem.  
> Now, as I've probably said before, I'm a fan of these games, Fates included, though there were many elements of it I hold issue with. One thing that isn't an issue for me is Silas - he's my personal favourite of the cast and I adore him and Corrin together, both ways. And since childhood friends is a trope I live for, I fell in love with the pairing. There are admittedly many good pairings in this game, if only they had a better story to service them.  
> Anyway, here's a little take of mine on them. Hope you enjoy! Please leave any feedback you may have in the comments. :) Thank you!

The wings of a bird extended greatly among the foggy and shadow-glazed sky of Nohr, ducking low in order to breathe. The sight of such a lifeform was unique among the seemingly lifeless and dark corners of the kingdom, especially in comparison to its neighbour across the plains. As such, their secrecy when compared to the rest of the world earned them animosity from those below - unaware of the secrets reigned in the ocean sea that delved deeper than blood. Of course, some were almost completely ignorant; not just to the kingdoms', Nohr, Hoshido, and whatever lay underneath's, deeper secrets, but also to the glaring eyes of either side as a whole.

One such soul with eyes glowing constantly with a crimson hope was the young princess of Nohr; one the world scarcely knew, only in short glances. For being only a child, she most certainly managed to develop some scattered whispers among the many circles of nobles who had found a hole of gold within the world of survival that Nohr had become. She - the girl who existed, but just barely.

Very few even knew young Corrin was real, some even heard of her and found disbelief at such a concept. The girl in the tower, the girl who hardly left a fortress. Some knew her secret, that leaving was akin to a forbidden art - by the knife-sharp order of King Garon. Nobody dared go against his word, not these days with the more inhumane he appeared and the less of a heart he seemed to possess - and thusly, nobody so much as attempted to even consider acting as a knight for the young princess.

Showing her any part of the world outside of the Northern Fortress was off the cards entirely, a tacenda of the highest order; so, the tower was where she would stay until her hand was strong enough to reign close to the will of a knight's. But solitude was not her only master; the four surviving scions of the Nohrian royal bloodline - the crown prince Xander, the elder princess Camilla, the prince sorcerer and the rose of the land, Elise - they all visited the princess, offering her every single gift of the human heart.

Strength, a pillar to look up to.

Warmth, assuring arms to run to.

Wisdom, words to place trust in and think back to.

And of course, love, affection that wouldn't escape one's thoughts, even as they greyed and faded away with the passage of time.

Outside yet within such a barrier, was the offer of friendship. It was unclear what prompted the decision from Garon; the look in his eyes had been more like the days when Arete still breathed, when those he loved other than his children still walked the world. But, Lady Argentia's only child was allowed akin to a test run of a decidedly human shape. Said 'test run' was a young lad by the name of Silas - made most distinct by his messy, silver hair that was impossible to tame and pure green eyes. Truthfully, though the arrangement had left Lady Argentia with a puzzle within her mind, she was more than content to focus her attention on that; whatever it was about the princess in all her shrouds of mystery...her son's eyes lit up like a sparking bonfire whenever he was around her.

Soft, pink hands rested freely on the firm stone of the fortress' window sill as Corrin's red gaze observed the white bird fluttering beneath the surface of the cursed coal-black clouds. With petite, innocent hops, the white-haired royal's feet clapped nigh silently against the floor as she wandered near the surface of the doors - awaiting the arrival of her friend, her best friend in the world! Silas was the boy's name; of course, she adored the presence of her elder siblings too! How could she not? But it was different with him, something she had never experienced. Even when locked away inside, he almost always spent hours with her within these walls, making it feel as if she was well and truly outside as she so dreamed.

The room she had called her own for ten years, Corrin hummed a light song of quiet thoughts as she walked towards the strong wooden drawer. Her small fists flattened under the surface, lightly drawing it open. Within the deep, wide blocked surface, she pushed herself up onto her higher toes akin to a fine dancer of Cyrkensia as she took a heavy leather book from its safety. Amidst the cream white pages were various hidden items, of which the existence only three people knew - she herself, of course, Camilla, who had caught her looking with her ever-observant eyes and lastly, Silas himself; for he was the one who gifted her them. These treasures, these tiny yet beloved remnants of the world Corrin had never gotten to truly experience. A pine cone from the outside, a purple flower born in the grass, the bark of the trees she would see at the borders of the cliffs but had never reached, let alone laid a hand upon.

Little did she know, her friend intended to give her a glimpse of it, even if it cost him everything.

The ticking of the clock rang through the walls, making her lips curve up as if a light had been ignited within her, prompting her to sprint as close towards the gates as she could get away with without the guards eyeing her as if she were a crazy little nymph.

Sure enough, as she expected, a familiar silhouette made itself known through the midst of the shadows. One was a woman, Lady Argentia, Silas' mother - truly a marvel of Nohrian nobles, she who made her wealth from magically enhancing falling crops - something that was more or less required to not starve to death from the lack of sunlight, constantly hidden away by cloud and smoke, a fact she had learnt from the boy himself, her scion. The woman had a handful of his features, namely wavy silver hair that curved across her shoulders and light green eyes, though she was almost always carrying herself with a sense of grace, one that they as children naturally couldn't really possess without a shred of luck, one which her older sister Camilla seemed to hold.

Walking with a spring in his step was the boy to her right, and for Corrin, he was impossible not to recognise. Messy, curly hair that curved up his head and seemed harder to tame than a wild beast out the darkest corner of magic. Gentle green eyes looking over at her with a soft, friendly smile on his face, his arms swinging lightly by his sides. His clothes were fine, but a lot less akin to a young nobleman's as before - for some reason, with his hand clutching what looked to be a basket. It did warrant a head tilt from the red-eyed princess, before she waved and cheered, opening her arms wide.

"Silas!" the white-haired girl exclaimed, her face beaming and bursting with excitement. Not even stumbling as she ran, she practically leapt as she pulled him fondly into her arms, nearly making him stutter. "I missed you!" she added, turning to look at him. Just then, her nose twitched ever so slightly, a fond smell filling her nostrils as her smile grew. "Wait - is that what I think it is?" she asked. A smell that felt like it was already melting in her mouth, making it water, veggie chowder - haha, her favourite.

Her friend offered her a half-sheepish and half-sweet smile, one that made her heart melt in addition. "I missed you too, Corrin," he responded, gently. "And yep. I made it for you. I'm glad to be back here...! I...I have a surprise for you," he whispered, one hand at the side of his mouth as if to disguise his words, his 'secret plan' from his mother.

Argentia couldn't help but smile softly, closing her eyes gently as she walked forward to speak to the nearest adult, Gunter; "Let's leave them to it," she whispered in turn, gesturing her head. Whatever it was, she trusted them both.

They were good kids, she knew that for certain.

For a few moments, Silas turned his head as he watched his mother take her leave. The matters of the world she focused on was one he wasn't quite aware of - but even he knew his plan could probably get him in trouble. No, not just trouble; big trouble, as in, locked in your room with nothing but bread and water for a week type of trouble. But to him, it didn't matter; his new friend, one of the few he had out here, had given him everything despite being locked away in the darkness for so long. And yet, she never had a single taste of the natural world, of any warmth beyond these harsh fortress walls.

Taking her hand, he walked with her down a hallway, waiting until they found one lacking in guards. Eventually, the pair settled for heading back into Corrin's room, their eyes gazing out at what little of the world Corrin got to see. For a few moments, they allowed themselves to take in the moment; the cool day air brushing past their skin, Silas' eyes glancing lightly to the princess beside him. A quiet breath escaped their lips, Corrin leaning slightly over with a nearly mournful smile.

"It's always so beautiful out there; even with the clouds, birds are still able to fly underneath them and go on as if in a bright sky. I can still see people moving and going about, even if it's just the guards doing their patrols..." she trailed off, wistfully.

"About that..." Silas began, his hand clutching the basket he held tighter, a firm yet soft cloth arranged so it defended the delicious contents within. His eyes flicked from side to side temporarily, before meeting her eyes. He stopped, lowering his chin slightly into his chest. "I..." slowly, he took a deep breath, as if he had been preparing what he was about to say.

"That was what my surprise was, f-for you! I...I know you've wanted to see the outside. Festivals, forests, bugs...I can't say if I'll be able to show you all that right here and now, but I want to give you something. So I made this for you, so we could spend the day together," Silas explained to her.

For a few seconds, Corrin remained in silence, her mouth slightly agape, eyes widened with irises almost shrunk. Without warning, she almost squealed as she pulled him into another close hug. "Ah, Silas! You're the best friend ever! You'd do that for me?" she asked, perkily, struggling to keep her voice down.

Stumbling back slightly, the basket waving slightly in the air, Silas cried out slightly, "Woah! And of course I would," he responded, fondly, offering her a smile. "We're going to need to be careful. I don't want to get you in trouble, so I'll bring you back in a couple of hours," he said. "If this works...maybe we can keep doing this - if you'd like...then we can see all the things you've wanted to experience all this time,"

Giving a firm nod, Corrin's index finger went up in a 'hush' gesture. "Of course. And I don't want you to get into trouble either...but...it means a lot to me that you'd do all this. I promise I won't let anything bad happen," she assured, taking his hands with a gentle touch, one that made warmth flood a young Silas' heart.

Taking his free hand, she turned to him; "So, shall we go?" she asked.

"Let's." Silas replied, determination burning in his eyes as they continued out the door.

Meandering conversation escaped their lips as they wandered, seemingly without aim. Guards caught the pair doing this often, to the point it hardly registered with them now, so they continued to have their own minor ramblings among themselves, their eyes on the faces of their comrades rather than on the princess and their friend. Silas and Corrin carefully observed them in turn, giving friendly waves so as to keep up the masquerade. But truly, where they were going, they would have no need for any masquerade ball, for they were going to find better, the white-haired girl was certain of it! It was a struggle to not jump joyfully out of her own skin, her hand his own.

Eventually, they changed from hallways to a pantry. During a game of hide-and-seek, Silas happened to have recovered a secret passage to the outside; their ticket out without being heard or seen by the inner world that Corrin had been so used to. Looking towards the door, Silas quietly led the way, his boots hardly clicking against the surface of the stone floor. Corrin glanced side to side in turn, both acting as guards for the other. Carefully, they lifted the door up from its place in the floor, ensuring that nobody was watching them go in.

But alas, one crotchety guard, one who Gunter was almost always five seconds away from dismissing due to how nasty his words about those who passed through the fortress, heard a bump from the room. With a rusty step, he recalled the strange pattern - the way the two brats had been wandering around today.

Such things wouldn't work out well for them, those who desired freedom.

* * *

It felt as if she had just learnt how to breathe for the first time for Corrin. After the shadows of the small yet long tunnel of the passage, it was as if she had seen colours for the very first time in her life. With the first step into the wild, she felt every sensation imaginable flood her body, her every sense. The darkened colour of the sky brightened in her eyes as she stepped into it, her feet softly padding into the grass with light taps. Despite every other force in the world, tiny flowers still found it within themselves to burst from the ground, their colours glowing within the gorgeous scene before them. In the distance, a flowing blue river dashed across the surface ahead, making her want to sprint in, shoes removed. Birds chirped and the breeze sang lightly in her ears and against their skin, the sweet scent of flowers filling the air as the natural euphoria of real grass and dirt tossing underneath the soles of her bare feet, between the small gaps of her toes, as if she herself was connecting to the earth below her. Nothing like it had ever submerged her senses like the open sea, nothing like this.

And she couldn't ask for more.

Yet, even in the midst of such rapid sensations, the warmth of her best friend's hand was never lost. A gasp of sheer wonder escaped Corrin's chest as she took it all in, "This is...this is amazing..." she trailed off, practically breathless. "Let's go. Let's see everything we can, okay?"

Silas smiled, giving a nod. "Yes. I...do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it...! I love it so much...thank you for this, for all of this, even if this one moment was the only one we were having, itt would be enough...it's perfect," Corrin answered, gratefully, giving his hands a light squeeze. Her head turned to the path ahead of them, to the tree. "That looks like the perfect spot - it's...it's almost caught in the mist, y'know?"

"Yeah, I see what you mean. Then that's where we'll go," Silas agreed, offering a hand - to take the lead. Once again, he eyed the area surrounding them, to be absolutely certain that they weren't being followed. With the signal that nobody was present, they walked forward through the growing field, hand-in-hand. Truthfully, if it weren't for their clothes, which by design were hardly akin to what one would wear during a noble dinner or festival like you would expect them to, since when they were here - they were two children enjoying the other's company, not nobles, not royals. Just two best friends, without a care in the entire order of the world.

Admittedly, getting to go outside was somewhat refreshing for them both - after all, nobles had certain expectations and not meeting them tended to earn you strange looks from those who might be able to dictate to you how they wished in the future. At least, that was how his mother had described it to Silas, putting it simply. Yet Corrin got even less of it, despite the fact she didn't even seem to be known by the world, by anyone who could do that.

For now, they were in a moment of ignorant bliss. Even though the shades and colours of the sky were ones she had grown used to seeing, at least to an extent, it was something entirely different being apart of it when she hadn't before. At least, Corrin didn't think she had - though sometimes her mind, when it slept, seemed to have flickers that argued otherwise - so being out here was near indescribable. Naturally, she viewed her siblings as friends; they had described the outside world to her, vividly, and it was clear to her that they wanted to hold her hand and take her into the world - but the fear of Father's reaction to it overtook their wish to give her what she wanted most. She understood, of course, she did...! But it still hurt sometimes...she wouldn't admit such a thing openly, her siblings and those around her had their own duties to deal with that clearly took up time they would much rather have with that than listening to her rambling about a butterfly that had passed her window, a reaction which she admittedly didn't find exactly unreasonable in nature.

Truthfully, she understood the fact that...well, Father could be frightening. There were moments of softness that she witnessed rarely through Xander's words - but others he seemed unapproachable, like a statue that could crush you if you got too close. Whatever fueled Silas...he definitely had to be brave, pushed by something other than familial bonds. Nevertheless...she was happy to have him as a friend, dreamed that they would always be like this. Even as they grew older, even if and when she grew strong enough to leave this fortress once and for all.

Still, the worry sweating down her brow did get the best of her, even if just ever so slightly. Her teeth gnawed slightly on the bottom of her lip, obscuring it, her red eyes turning towards his smiling and assuring face. "Silas...?" Corrin asked, head tilted.

"Yes?" Silas responded, intentively, eyes widened slightly, gently holding her hand as they continued to make their way ahead.

"Are...you're not scared of getting into trouble, are you?" the white-haired princess inquired, letting a breath escape her lips so as to tame her somewhat rapid nerves as they grew. "It's just..."

"I know, your...your father can be strict," Silas admitted, as if his own concerns had either just dawned on him now or if the logic of it had finally been released, most likely the latter she suspected.

"Especially towards Xander; I know he's the oldest but some of the things that he's said...well, I definitely don't think your mother would ever say to you," Corrin confessed, briefly averting his gaze.

"Unless I touched the bottles in the cellar," Silas pointed out, wanting to lighten the scene. "She'd probably have my head if I did that."

"What's with those bottles anyway? I tried touching them because they looked nice and red-"

"Like grapes?"

"Right! But Gunter pulled me away and said it's only for grown-ups." Corrin pouted slightly, wondering what that taste would have been like if she had gotten it to hit her tongue, before running slightly forward toward the running stream before them.

"I...I think you'll be a great grown-up." Silas said to himself, almost timidly, before following with a perky laugh, "Hey, wait up!" he called over. They were fairly far from their little escape door now, he could see that himself, so laughing and calling didn't feel so dangerous and risque now. At the very least, it took a strong weight off his shoulders, allowing him to roll them and follow gleefully.

Not being a fan of shoes, Corrin was swift in dipping her feet into the water - slowly, she lowered one at the surface, causing ripples to echo silently through. In a case of caution, albeit a minor one, she eyed the thick yet glasslike river for any sharp rocks or anything that could give her a less than pleasant surprise but soon found nothing, prompting her to sink her feet through. At worst, she was met with the slight crinkling of tiny soles underneath, allowing herself to nearly waddle through, gesturing towards Silas with a small bop of her head, as though suggesting he join her.

Not being one to leave her hanging, he quickly knelt down in the grass, dirt gently scratching the surface of his knees as he pulled down the leather of his boots, leaving them and the treat-filled and food-flooded basket that contained their picnic at the side of the bank before stumbling alongside his friend - albeit a bit clumsily.

"Careful, you could slip," Corrin warned, though seriousness was very clearly devoid and both of them knew it. More than anything, she seemed to be using it as an excuse to hold hands with him again, though the reasons as to why were far out of their reach due to the limiting barriers of their age.

"Don't worry - I'll stand firm," Silas reassured, clutching her hands softly.

The warmth of her hands...what was it that made him feel like this, that's what he wondered - Corrin sparked something within him, something special, a desire to be better, a desire to go out and be more active; unlike before when he had kept his distance and when he was certain anything he had said would be met with scrutiny by the other noble children his age.

To tell the truth, Corrin had taught him that wasn't always a guarantee, that there were kind and accepting people amongst the darkness. Truly, she was the best friend he could ask for - so he would offer her the world that she had been closed away from for so many years. Even if his nerves were scratching like broken nails against the surface of a hard surface of a layer of invisible glass at the beginning just thinking of doing something that would be seen as so rebellious; though why taking a friend outside even briefly was viewed akin to treason from what he'd been told was well and truly beyond him. But it wasn't his place to question it, only go against it for the sake of his friend and make it back without getting either of them in trouble, ideally.

"Looks like we're almost there," Silas pointed out, his eyes turning towards the tree which they were only a short way away from now. "Ready to get settled?"

Hand in hand, they made their way forward - even as something sunk within them. As if something was not right, so to speak. For a few moments, their eyes were able to avert such a reality.

"Of course!" Corrin nodded, life springing her each and every step.

Truthfully, the moment was perfect.

So of course, it was only brief.

It was all so sudden - as if one had taken an abrupt step at the wrong place and went tumbling down, no, crashing down, without any sense of warning or reason - all dictated and alerted to by the yells of grown men, clattering in armour as if dealing with a mighty monster ready to murder them all at a moment's notice, a sight not unheard and far from unseen when it came to those dubbed as wrongdoers in Nohr as of the present; regardless of age, of intent, or even of crime.

"HALT!"

Within an instant, Silas and Corrin rose to their feet at the sound as it barrelled towards them. "Oh no." he choked out, the realisation that they'd been caught and what would likely arise next dawning on them fully. "We have to go, now!" he tugged lightly at her hand, so as not to bring her down but also as an indicator to run.

"No...! You go, this is my fault-" Corrin asserted, not letting go of his hand and taking the lead. "If I hadn't...I asked for this, and this...this is what happens. I should face the results of it-"

Before they could take another step, it felt like they had already been cornered by an army. Despite the world having been at their fingertips only moments before, they were once again reminded of what they were; children, stuck under higher forms of authority long out of their reach. Their course of action decided by everybody besides themselves.

"IF HE WANTS...SO...LET HIM...LIKE A KNIGHT!"

A spear shrieked as it was chucked to the ground, 'knights' in gilded silver shoving her companion onto his knees, forcing him to grasp onto it for dear life.

Corrin's face was drenched of blood, going as white as a spirit at the circle of furious faces, as if ready to spill blood right there and then. But what scared her more was who it was directed towards; some were pulling her to the side as if she were some form of a victim, being rescued from an assault or abduction. All of that vitriol, that awful, murderous flame - all sent in one direction. Silas' direction.

"No, I won't let it happen!" Corrin acted swiftly, ripping her arm free of the iron grasp that held it through some act of fate or self-buried flame, sprinting to the centre. Her feet's balance faltered but ultimately proved victorious to her. The heart-pounding scene felt like some form of nightmare, despite the streams of daylight from up above.

Despite the sudden blow to his ribs, Silas fought to breathe. Breathe, breathe. The abrupt rush of colours and movement and aura of what neared death pounded with more and more strength against the regions of his mind. Think, think. Think of some way out of this. But they were surrounded, like vultures around a pile of dead bodies. A firm grasp latched onto his collar, nearly robbing him again of the breath he tried to retain, as he felt himself be propelled forward while hardly even moving his body. His eyes searched for his friend, wanting to ensure she was alright, that she wasn't facing the same. If he could be thankful for one thing, it was that she seemed to at least be unharmed; at the very least, he'd be getting the brunt of this. Whatever was about to happen next.

Before long, the warm colours of the area surrounding them faded into something darker, beiges and greys only briefly lightened by the stream of the sun, and even then the life of it all seemed to have been torn away. As the lad fought to try and figure out where he was, what was happening, even just for a second, his fingers trembled and poured with sweat as it grasped onto the one constant; the spear. But he didn't dare swing it at the guards - for that would only add more fuel to the already screaming inferno, which would likely just engulf everything around it in the worst way imaginable.

Finally, there was a temporary moment of stillness as his heart, which had dropped firmly into his stomach, at least seemed to stop plummeting, though it could hardly be lifted by anything. Silas searched for anything familiar as he clasped onto the spear, its wooden handle pressed firmly onto the now stone ground beneath his knees, which now stung numbly from the force that had ripped through the idealistic dream he had tried, and failed, to present to his friend.

 _'I'm going to die, I'm going to die.'_ Silas' thoughts seemed to shriek at him as everything seemed to lose sense, lose clarity. It wasn't just his thoughts that spat and screamed, it was those guards still, glaring a hole through him, his attempt to help being viewed akin to kidnapping. He nearly wanted to punch himself for not thinking of it, not confirming it - not doing more for his friend to allow that dream to be realised, instead of crushed. Sweat tore down the silver-haired boy's forehead as he tried to make sense of the scene as it spiralled further out of control. All he could taste now was the dryness of his throat, the clawing that prevented anything, let alone a word in his friend's defence (never mind his own).

And, over and over, his mind seemed to chant...

' _ **I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die**_.'

But it was the sight of the man in front of him that truly cemented such a thought.

A black suit of armour, lined with gold and violet that glinted dangerously in the light. The only sign that the man's body wasn't completely metallic was his face, grey skin and a pure white beard - narrowed eyes staring him down, practically burning his gaze. It was the king.

It was King Garon, face twisted in tranquil yet stomach-turning rage. "I should have known better than to allow a rat like you anywhere near my fortress," he almost spat, approaching with a fist clenched, his face unchanging. It seemed everyone in the court was watching; most even waiting for an order. Silas' teeth gritted together as his heart tightened, hanging his head almost shamefully. "I should kill you, right here and now."

' _Go, Corrin. Don't look, don't look, gods...don't look...!'_ his thoughts practically begged his friend, whose silhouette he could see facing forward, looking back at him with what was apparently growing panic.

Madness seemed to be invoked with the scene, those surrounding yelling and lumping together, to the point it was impossible to tell what was an agreement to the order and what was discourse. The only voice he was able to make out at first was his mother's because he'd heard it so much - yet not enough.

"No, please, your majesty! Spare him! He doesn't know what he's!-"

" _Silence_!" a piercing voice rattled through the air like a blade. "Before I have you slaughtered for not keeping your spawn in check!" Garon hissed back at the woman.

It was at this point that Corrin had finally had enough of watching all this; her body, her voice, finally rose to its head and took action. With every vocal and everything she'd learnt when it came to speaking, to shouting, to letting the world hear you, Corrin practically screamed; " _ENOUGH_!"

The surprise of her voice being heard by those outside the fortress, especially all at once, was enough to shake the silver shrouded masses to a sudden halt, both physically and verbally. Heads turned to gaze at her with curious observation, but Garon's view did not change.

"What did you just say?" he almost growled at her, as if she were a criminal rather than his own child.

"Don't hurt him, he didn't do anything wrong!" Corrin's arms extended as if shielding Silas with her own body. His shaken green eyes seemed to flicker as reality set in like the chaos had come to a halt, even if just for a moment.

"Corrin..." Silas choked out. His young, exposed hands gripped firmly onto the spear once again; if Garon was harsh enough to attack Corrin...he'd fight to help her, no matter what happened to him.

"He disobeyed direct orders from the highest authority; a betrayal of the trust placed in him," Garon trailed off, as if about to slice him dead right there and then with his axe, clutched firmly in his hand.

"It was my idea!" Corrin stated, suddenly, taking both figures off-guard.

Silas' head snapped, his voice almost hissing out, "Corrin, no...! This is..." but it had been strangled enough that Garon had missed it.

"I kept talking about going outside - Silas was only doing what I told him to do. So if he has to die for following my orders...then I should die for giving out the order!" she yelled, despite a tremble in her voice.

For a few moments, the scene froze like a burst of ice, one party questioning the moves of the other. Eventually, the decision was made.

"...Very well. The boy will not die. But he is your friend no longer - he will perish by my hand if he so much as steps foot here again." As those words left the man's mouth, his glare didn't leave Silas' frame, as those witnessing began to disperse. Before long, Silas felt warm arms around him, pulling him back gently from the scene, as though in a rush - that of his mother.

"Understood, your majesty." Lady Argentia whispered in confirmation, averting eye contact as she took her son away from the scene before them.

The silence seemed to reign from that moment on. "I'm sorry," the woman apologised, hands in her face. "I'm sorry that there's nothing more you could do for her, and that I let you do this...I should have known..."

"Mother, I..." Silas choked out, looking up at her as they made their way back home in a lifeless carriage. "I'm sorry," he confessed, hanging his head lowly.

"I know you are; I...I am too." she whimpered, holding his face at her heart. "I'm afraid this is the truth of Nohr, my son. All we can do, and all you can do now - is try to be the change we wish to bring to the light of the present."

"So if I..." Silas trailed off, almost shyly, not wanting to set off her tears. "If I wanted to...help somebody..."

Lady Argentia let out a deep sigh, one of frustration yet apparent resignation. "I know that somebody refers to the princess, Silas. I am your mother and no fool at that. I would personally avoid any path of fate that brings you near that madman of a king of ours ever again...but, if you're so set on that girl...then I can't and won't stop you."

"But she's not just a girl, Mo-"

"I know that as well. I've seen how she's changed you, and for better, I think." the green-eyed woman interrupted. "But you're not just a boy, Silas,"

"No. I am now...but not forever. In the future...when I'm strong enough to be, I'll be a knight, a defender of justice, Nohr and its people, no matter who they are." Silas stated, firmly, offering a smile of potential strength as he hugged her.

"I'll be the change I want to see."


End file.
